Living Life

Description of Habitat

• Rainforests of South America

• 80-400 inches of rainfall a year

• Mahogany, kapok, orchids

• Jaguars, sloths, tree frogs

• Stays within 70-90 degrees Fahrenheit 

• Dense, humid and hilly terrain, rivers, etc

Distribution 

• Central and South America 

• Brazil, Costa Rica, and Columbia  

• Not invasive, native to these regions 

Diet

• Mainly fruits, some insects

• Figs, berries, lizards, bird eggs, etc

• Eats 2 or more times a day

• Specialized bill that gathers and reaches its food

• Plucks fruits from trees and catches special insects such as termites 

Social Structure

• More commonly live in packs 

• Seed dispersal and regeneration 

• No specific gender leads 

• Each individual is unique and contributes in different ways

• Communicate vocally through squaks 

  Reproduction

• Once a year during the breeding season

• One mate at a time

• During spring and summer months

• Bill touching shows affection 

• 2-4 eggs at once

• They participate in unique vocalizations and bill touching to show love and affection to one another 

Development

• Toucan chicks hatch blind and featherless, and grow to leave the nest in about 6 to 8 weeks.

• Reach sexual maturity at 2-4 years of age

• As chicks they rely on their mother and father for warmth and protection, then thei unique colorful feathers help them with warmth and camouflage in their environment 

• Generally the same, males may be larger than females occasionally 

Causes of death

• Predation from larger birds, mammals, and reptiles

• Males compete with each other for female birds and display their attributes and vocals 

• Channel billed are very prone to disease and often experience trouble with surviving against them

Competition

• Toco, Ramphastidae, Ramphsotos toco, etc

• Woodpecker, Cuvier's and Ivory-billed toucans, etc

• Food, territory, mates, nesting sites, fruits, insects, etc

• Invasive species cause lack and allocation of resources, resulting in insufficient resources left for channel billed toucans 

IUCN Rating

• Vulnerable 

• More than 80,000 alive and well

• Population has declined by over 30% since 2002, and seems to flourish quite easily 

Impact of Humans

• Tree and habitual destruction, killing and leaving channel billed toucans with no home

• Increased urbanization will lead to even further habitat destruction and a large drop in Channel billed toucan populations

• Humans have been interacting with the channel billed for thousands of years

• Efforts are being made to minimize the negative impacts of human activities on toucans and their habitats. Conservation organizations, governments, and local communities are working together to protect toucan populations, preserve their natural habitats, and raise awareness on preserving and protecting this amazing species!

Live, Laugh, Love the Channel Billed Toucan!